"I am living upstairs from a man who owns a 4 1/2 month old pitbull named Chase.

He is always hitting and yelling at Chase and I can hear Chase from downstairs wimpering. The guy has told me to get this dog out of his house, he leaves the door open in hopes of him running away."

"I have walked Chase because he is never let outside, he does not know to go to the bathroom outside and pees in the house.

He is very lovable and excitable. I am in desperate need of finding a good home for Chase.

Please someone help me get this innocent puppy out of this terrible mans home!"

"Chase is an inconvienience for the owner and whenever Chase acts like a puppy he gets hit and yelled at. I asked the owner if I could find Chase a home and he said yes. The owner lets Chase outside without a collar in hopes of him running away. There are holes in the wall of the apartment of missed attempts at kicking Chase. I can hear Chase yelp and wimper when he is being hit."

Worst off, this animal "owner" won Chase gambling --

-- yes, gambling --

:(

And then, the rescue...

After posting this boy on our forum, we had a foster offer -- Dina in CT --

-- that's all we needed, and our boy was on his way to greener pastures -- !!

Here he is, after his surrender --

-- with April's boyfriend.

He's just a little lad -- :(

On a choke collar --

-- and he won't even look at me --

:(

After some coaxing, Chase looks my way --

-- and what beauty I see.

He's a stunning young pup -- an adolescent --

-- full of energy and with a very kind face.

The beauty I see is a stunning blue eye --

-- floppy puppy ears that feel like warm hands when I play with them --

-- and a happy, chunky butt that wags and bounces when Chase gets happy --

-- things I am sure April saw, too, in this little love.

April told me how HAPPY she was that we took this boy, since Chase's "owner" had a party the Friday before, and the "partiers" let Chase drink as much vodka as he could -- so they could see what a drunk dog acted like.

That next day, all April heard was Chase vomiting the liquor --

-- and getting beaten for it --

:(

So I say to myself,

"How can this happen?

How can people treat such an innocent animal so cruelly in our own neighborhood?"

To those questions, I don't have answers --

-- but what I have instead, is thankfulness --

-- I am thankful for SPBR's strong presence on the Internet, so April could find us in her google search --

-- I am thankful to be able to post such true and beautiful pictures of this miracle boy --

-- and I am thankful for our forum, where people like Dina, as far away as Connecticut can say, "How can I help."

Mostly, though, I am thankful for people like April who said to herself,

"I don't care if this "human" lives below me or now -- or what threats he makes against me -- I am going to do all I can to save this dog."

And with that, April made it her charge to save Chase --

-- a boy who was mere chattel from a disgraceful night's gambling winnings.

I was talking to a dear friend last night --

-- someone I trust, respect and who cares for animals dearly --

-- that friend asked how I could hold back my rage and anger against this "person" for what he did to Chase --

-- and my answer was simply the gift of getting this dog in to rescue.

While some "man" tried to beat the life out of Chase -- for whatever reason --

-- Chase emerged unbeaten.

He has proven himself 110% normal in temperament --

-- he cowers not, nor does he show any emotional scars of his prior "life" --

-- it's sort of like he wants to move forward, and has forgotten that unfortunate portion he was given.

At right are April and her boyfriend --

-- our true heroes for today --

Our boy, as seen on Petfinder...

We're obviously looking for only the best home for Chase -- someone who believes in this boy, and who believes there is a small truth in actually doing those things we see on bumper stickers every day --

-- we love you, little Chase, and we think you're a beautiful boy.

If you're an interested applicant, please start with an adoption application, and we'll go from there -- !!

Well, he's HOME -- and we're all HAPPY!

Well, thank HEAVENS for young, energetic couples --

-- they match up perfectly with young, energetic DOGS -- !!

Here's Dr. Josh and his fiance, at Chase's adoption --

-- ready for life, and full of energy!

From the home visit, Josh wrote --

"Eric and Julie came to our home last night. I felt bad for them, you can see how hard they work. They are really nice people and offer great advice."

"They brought Chase with them, boy he is a character! Very fun loving, playful, and energetic. He was bouncing back and forth between Kristine and I, then would let julie and eric know he still loved them too!"

"Everything went great. I'm emailing Eric to let them know that we want Chase to be apart of our family. Chase gets neutered next weekend. We're going to go buy all the stuff we need, crate, bed, food bin, etc. We cant wait!"

"I thought Chase was going to be all passive since he never met us before. Not so much! He was running up and down the stairs, stealing and playing tug a war with my fiance's boot, too funny! Cant wait til he gets here. I feel like my child is missing, and I havent even taken posession of him yet!"

Well now --

-- what a testament to how GOOD people can be --

-- how much we love adopters like Josh and Christine --

-- and what a testament to Chase, too -- his resiliance, going from being beaten and unloved to being loved and cherished -- and remaining, well, unbroken, through it all.

Here is a little man that is home --

-- forever.

With owners that will love him and appreciate his boundless energy and puppy-ways --

-- not beat him and mistreat him for it --

-- priceless -- !!

You can see here that Chase knows he's home, too --

-- his ears are back, his eyes are soft --

-- he trusts Josh and Kristine, and knows he doesn't have to keep his guard up for them --

--

Well now, if this isn't a postcard - perfect picture, I don't know what is --

-- like a father and son shot --

-- awwww!!

So FINALLY, the stars have aligned for this little man --

-- he can flop his ears, wag his tail --

-- and make his parents smile --

-- a lot.

How far you've come Chase, and we couldn't be more proud -- !!!

Thank you to everyone who made Chase's tomorrows a better thing -- you made a world of difference for this little man!!

And the kudos keep coming --

Eric, I am Chase's new "Aunt", Dr. Josh's sister. We are all so excited and happy to have this adorable new member of our family. I just wanted you to know that this little guy has "hit the lottery", so to speak, in terms of landing in a animal loving family ! My husband and I are both Court officers and HUGE animal lovers . We have 2 dogs and 2 cats that we love and treat like children.

Anyways, I just wanted to thank-you on behalf of my family and all the animal lovers of the world for everything you have done and continue to do to make a positive difference in these little darling's lives. And...with "Chase" you can relax and smile knowing you are directly responsible for another very happy ending! :)

Sincerely,
Tammy

And from Autumn, Chase's original rescuer --

Eric, I cried when I seen the new website!! I am so glad you were able to connect him with a loving couple, and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out to help both him and I.

I appreciate your compassion and love and will keep you in my thoughts. Thank you again for being such a great person, the world is better because of people like you.

Have a wonderful weekend! Autumn

Things I like in an application:

- Applicants who join our pit bull forum, at www.pbsmiles.com. There, you'll find a small army of pit bull lovers -- 4,500 at the present -- !! For you, the adopter, you can learn about canine diet, pit bull temperaments, multi-dog households, and you can meet a nice group of people. For us, the rescuers, we can see your baby as they grow with you, hearing your stories about them and seeing pictures you post of them in their news lives -- win-win, right??!! PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THIS PRE-REQUISITE -- it means a lot to us here -- !!

- Adult adopters, ready to be adults. People aware of the responsibility of a puppy, and aware this puppy will become an a medium-sized dog, with its own temperament and personality. Adult adopters who are ready for a 15 year commitment. This puppy does not have a depreciating "useful life" that is over when it becomes an adult -- instead, this dog's whole life is useful -- !!

- Owners who are aware of and who respect the pit bull temperament. This means people who know you can't "love" dog aggression out of their dogs -- instead, owners who are RESPONSIBLE with their pups -- crating them when unattended, supervising them with children, never leaving them outside unattended, and those who are ready for licks and lovin' in return! For more on dog aggression, click here.

- Adopters who treat their newest addition like a member of the family, realizing that this isn't a "dog in the box" and that its little life must be encouraged to go the right path and that obedience, socialization and training will get her there -- !!

- Financial commitment. Adopters willing to spend money on their new investment, including premium foods (like Candidae, Wellness, Nutro or raw food), plus adopters who will invest in pet insurance or a "dog fund", lest vetting be required, which may get expensive.

The adoption fee is $295 per dog. This is reasonable, considering the premium services that each pup gets. Each dog, before placement, is examined by a licensed veterinarian, spayed or neutered, wormed with premium wormer, given vaccinations on a regular basis (not just a one-shot deal), microchipped with a premium Home Again chip (made by Schering -Plough), fed premium raw food (not 'Ol Roy, or some other filler-laden junk) and has spent it's puppy fosterhood in a wonderful, attentive, CLEAN environment. There are 4-5 homes fostering these babies, and that is a LOT of logistics, driving, CARE, etc. -- but it's entirely worth it! Also, each puppy is accompanied by a personal home visit to YOUR home at placement, to ensure they're going to have the life of a king or queen -- !! If the home visit doesn't pass, puppy doesn't stay. This isn't some parking-lot-of-a-pet-store adoption scheme, instead, it's the highest-quality service I can provide for these young souls, as they journey off in to their lives. Note, too, we have had a recent increase in adoption fees, due to increased veterinary surgery rates.

- Smart and informed adopters, who research this breed and who realize that these pups are not for everyone. Pit bull temperament can be Googled, and a great start can be found here.

Things I shy away from in an application:

- Youth -- sorry kids -- this is a living being, not an iPod!! Young peoples' lives change a lot, and the first thing to get dumped is usually the dog, whether it be on their parents, a friend, etc., who are oftentimes ill-equipped and disinterested in this four-legged life -- then, the dumping or neglect begins.

- Renters. I get calls all the time saying, "Please take my dog -- I moved in to an apartment that doesn't allow them." Ummm -- did you fall asleep in an apartment that allowed them, and then wake up at a new address, in an apartment that doesn't allow them? This isn't magic here -- it's responsibility, and dogs come first. Please don't lie on the application, either -- this will show up in the home-visit -- !!

- Multi-dog households. While I love having many pit bulls, quite a few people aren't ready for the commitment and responsibility it takes to sometimes crate their dogs, rotate them out of the crates and generally own them responsibly. When that happens, I get calls saying, "I have to get rid of one of my dogs ASAP." I can never understand why these people think their lack of planning is all of the sudden my emergency.

- Busy households. Sure, puppies are cute, and they're cuddly, and after they're bathed, they smell nice. But when they grow up in to dogs, and the busy household moves on to their new obsession, the dog, now needing obedience, love and affection, is dumped in the suburban sense. The dog may even live "out on the porch" -- people mention that to me like it's acceptable -- dogs are social beings, and will not flourish in situations of neglect!

- People that call me sounding like gangsters. It happens a lot -- and they never want a spayed or neutered dog. Sorry folks -- this is rescue, not a puppy mill, nor the "syndicate". Also, please don't bother me with requests for "papers" -- last time I checked, no people I knew had "papers", and that didn't make them any less a "person" -- !!